December 17, 2002	Tuesday	Shawwal 12, 1423

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RAWALPINDI, Dec 16: The district government on Monday constituted a nine-member commission to look into the problems being faced by the transporters in the city, officials said.

The transporters had earlier threatened to go on a strike against the franchising of transport routes from Monday. The transport union leaders were then invited for talks by District Nazim Raja Tariq Kiani where it was decided to constitute a body to look into their demands.

The commission will take up different issues, specially the franchising of routes, provision of alternative routes, attitude of the Regional Transport Authority officials and traffic police. The commission will then submit its findings to the Nazim on Saturday.

During the meeting, Mr Kiani assured the transporters of the district administration’s full support. He said the cancellation of routes of vans plying on Route-7 was done under court orders.

He advised the transporters to approach the Supreme Court regarding their reservations about the Lahore High Court’s verdict.

The Nazim said his administration did not want to render anyone unemployed. “Those transporters, whose vehicles’ routes have been cancelled, will be offered alternative routes without any additional fee,” he said.

The district government plans to offer Saddar-to-Secretariat route to the vans and Saddar-to-Zafar Chowk route to the minibuses plying on the defunct route 7.

Mr Kiani said the district administration would do everything on its part to solve transporters’ problems, and even send recommendations to the Punjab chief minister in this regard.

He urged the transporters to keep the public interest supreme while taking any decision.

Some six routes in all have to be franchised. Only Route-7 has been franchised so far.

While the transporters fear losing work following the franchising of routes, the commuters are concerned over the exorbitant fares being charged by the private transport companies. Moreover, these private companies do not have enough buses to sufficiently meet the public needs.

The crisis about franchising of routes started when the transport authority last Friday handed over Route No-7 to a private transport company after the transporters operating on this route lost a legal battle in the high court.

The route starts from Hajj Complex, Peshawar Road and ends at Humak Model Town, after passing through Saddar and Kutcheri. Some 75 private transport vehicles — 61 vans and 14 mini-buses — plying on this route were impounded by the transport authority and the traffic police. The owners were told to stop playing their vehicles on the route.

The transport authority had cancelled the route permits of vehicles operating on this route in July last year. The transporters had then approached the Lahore High Court against the decision. They were granted stay against the transport authority’s decision on that occasion.